TOLEDO, Ohio — "We have to find a way for me and for my son and for his children, never to have to deal with this again," said Sandi Denniss who lost her mother and grandmother to Alzheimer's Disease. "She had just retired from work. Here she was, just getting ready to start his wonderful retirement of doing what she loved when my sister and I started noticing changes."
Her mother could no longer perform tasks she used to excel at. She was in just her late 50's when the symptoms began. By 67 years old, she was gone.
"We lose our loved one twice. We lose them first when they're diagnosed and this person you counted on your whole life is now counting on you and you can't rely on them to count on during these challenging times in your life. And when they pass away, you lose them again," explained Denniss.
Denniss added that it truly takes a village to care for someone with Alzheimer's Disease. While her sister was the primary caretaker for their mother, she often helped with doctor's appointments or taking over when her sister needed a break.
"It's over and over again. The same thing every ten minutes. The same questions every ten minutes. It's emotionally draining. It's exhausting. It's something you don't know until you're living with it," explains Denniss.
Denniss said when her mother passed, she became motivated to do what she could to find a cure. There is hope.
At a recent conference, researchers shared they've learned diet and exercise can offset genetics risks.
Researchers are also getting closer to developing a blood test that would diagnose the disease before the onset of symptoms.
"With that, we hope to get people in clinical trials earlier. Get them in the planning process earlier with their families and enjoying opportunities in their life. But also have treatment for people before they have onset of symptoms," said Executive Director for the northwest Ohio chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Julia Pechlivanos.
The research is made possible by fundraisers. The Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association kicks off a series of walks Saturday in Archbold. The final one is in Toledo in October. Click here to find the one nearest to you.
"Now, to me, I'm energized." She added, "We've gotta find a cure and that's what the walks do. The walks raise money for research."